Finding Obsolescence
A Day in the Life (and then some)

by Lavender Feline

By the time lunch came around, it seemed like the whole school knew about Miyako and Daisuke. No matter where he went, Daisuke couldn't avoid being patted on the back, and told 'congratulations'. He thought he'd never hated a word as much as he hated that one now.

Making his way to Miyako's classroom to eat lunch with her, Daisuke sighed. They'd met in front of the school that morning, and Miyako had proceeded to apply what they'd practiced the night before. Everyone had seen them lock lips.

What they hadn't seen was how he'd accidentally bit down on her tongue in shock, and how she'd stomped hard on his foot in response. When the kiss was over, Daisuke imagined himself returning to his corner for a quick rub down and a pep talk from the coach. It was almost like being in the ring, or so Daisuke thought, remembering the boxing dramas that had been popular a few years ago. Unfortunately, when he turned his head to find his coach, he saw someone he really hadn't wanted to.

"Daisuke!" Takeru smiled at him. "I didn't believe it when I heard, but... you two really are a cute couple!"

Takeru didn't seem to understand why Daisuke punched him. Daisuke didn't understand why Miyako lectured him for doing so. Didn't she get what an insult that was - to both of them!

But as the day progressed, everyone seemed to agree. They were perfect together. They were made for each other! Daisuke scowled at the floor as he slid the door open to Miyako's classroom. The day was half over already, he reminded himself. Only half a day to go. Things couldn't get worse, right?

"Daisuke!" Miyako called to him from her desk. A few girls Daisuke didn't know were sitting around her, giggling. They stopped when they turned and saw him, and suddenly Daisuke wondered why anyone would be interested in 'older women'.

"Oh my GOSH, is that him!" a girl with bleached-blonde hair squealed, hopping off of her desk, where she had been sitting. Her skirt was hemmed up a few inches too high, Daisuke noticed with some interest.

"That's him!" Miyako's voice rang cheerfully through the crowded classroom.

"Oh, he's adorable! Younger men are always cuter!" the girl said, cocking her head at him. "You're Daisuke-chan, huh?"

Twitching, Daisuke scowled up at her. 'Damnit... just 'cause I'm a year younger than you and a little bit short for my age doesn't mean you gotta act like I'm a preschooler!' "Yeah."

"Don't worry about him. He's shy." Miyako waved him over to her desk. "Hurry up, you won't have time to eat the lunch I lovingly prepared for you!"

"Food?" Daisuke perked up and grinned. 'Now that's more like it!' He hurried over to her desk and pulled up a chair, sitting next to her.

Miyako handed Daisuke a bento that matched her own and smiled sweetly at him. "Eat up! I hope you like it." She blushed softly.

Daisuke stared at her with wide eyes. 'What the... something's wrong! She's never this nice!' Slowly, his gaze slid to the open bento. Rice, vegetables, and little pieces of squid - shaped like tiny smiling squids - lay before him. 'Why are the squids all... happy!' Skewering a squid piece with one chopstick, Daisuke held it up to the light for closer inspection. The pink thing gazed back with its carefully drawn-on smile. 'It must be... poisoned...'

Blinking, Daisuke looked around the room. Why had it gotten so quiet suddenly? Miyako was giving him a look that he was pretty sure meant she was going to hurt him at any moment, and the rest of the girls looked horrified. One of them sniffled, about to cry.

"What!"

"The... the... poor thing..." the sad girl said, pointing to the happy pink thing.

Daisuke frowned. "What about it?"

"You killed it!" she exclaimed, half-sobbing.

"I what?" Daisuke asked, looking closer at it. 'What's she...' Then he noticed that he'd stabbed the smiling squid through the head with his chopstick. 'Guess that looked kinda bad.'

Miyako suddenly laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound, Daisuke noticed. "He's just making a joke!" Whacking Daisuke hard on the back, she continued laughing until the rest of the class joined in.

The hit on the back not only knocked the squid off the end of his chopstick but the air out of him as well. He wheezed for a long moment as everyone laughed, and then took a small bite of the food. 'Maybe it's not poisoned... probably.' After a moment of chewing, he swallowed and nodded. "Hey, this is pretty decent!" Deciding that poisoned food would taste worse, Daisuke dug in, inhaling the meal quickly.

Miyako glared at him for the rest of the meal, but only when her friends weren't looking. He was glad when lunch was over.

The day had passed slowly, but Daisuke felt like it was all okay again the minute he found himself on the soccer field. They'd practiced some basic moves and played a short skirmish. By the end of practice, Daisuke was sweaty and tired, but he felt so much better.

Mopping some sweat from his face with a towel, Daisuke didn't see it when Taichi approached him. Practice was almost over, and everyone was taking a few moments to talk before heading to the showers.

"So, you're dating Miyako-chan."

Daisuke winced, pulling the towel away from his face slowly. 'Taichi-senpai. Great. Do I really have to hear this from him!' "Yeah."

Taichi grinned and shook his head. "You that desperate?"

Jaw dropped, eyes wide, Daisuke gaped at his senpai. "W-what!"

Taichi winced and hit his forehead. "Jeez, I'm sorry. I shouldn't say crap like that... especially since it's the first thing you've listened to in days..."

Daisuke grinned sheepishly. He had been pretty obvious about avoiding Taichi, hadn't he? "No... it's okay. Look, um... about that... I'm not mad at you."

With a skeptical expression, Taichi folded his arms and nodded. "Yeah. Right."

"No! I'm really not!" Daisuke said, grinning.

Taichi looked relieved. "Cool."

It was quiet for a moment, and Daisuke found himself smiling again. 'Taichi-senpai really is awesome... and I don't care who he makes out with... it's kinda cool that he's so popular, even with guys!'

"So, uh... you and Miyako-chan are happy?" Taichi asked awkwardly.

Smiling widely, Daisuke shook his head. "No way!" He laughed. "Guess I am kinda desperate. But... I really wanted a girlfriend... Anyway, thanks. Everyone thinks we're some kinda perfect couple or anything. It's insulting!" He pouted, kicking the toe of his shoe into the dirt hard.

"Y'know..." Taichi said, seeming thoughtful for a moment. "Girlfriends are nice and all-"

Daisuke gave him a look.

"Hey! I've dated girls! Just 'cause you caught me with one guy doesn't mean I don't like girls, too!"

Daisuke's eyes widened slightly. "I... didn't think of that."

Taichi laughed, ruffling Daisuke's hair. "Anyway, what I was tryin' to say was... girlfriends are nice, if you like the girl you're dating. But otherwise... they're a lot of work. And... it's usually a lot better to be yourself, y'know?"

"What if you don't really like yourself?" Daisuke asked, sweatdropping. "Can't you be someone else, then?"

Taichi's expression softened. "No. But you should like yourself."

Daisuke looked away and shrugged. "Yeah. Sure."

"No, seriously! You inherited courage from me, remember? So, use some of it! You're a great guy, Daisuke. If anyone says different, punch 'em." He paused and grinned. "Better yet, tell me and I'll do it for you."

Sighing, Daisuke nodded. "Yeah, Taichi-senpai. Thanks." 'But it's not that easy for me...'

Shaking the last of the water from his hair like a dog, Daisuke stepped out of the locker room and stretched. 'Finally! Day's over, and now I can go home and play videogames all night! Nothin' but me and the PlayStation, and no girls involved!'

"You take longer showers than my big sisters!" Miyako frowned, tapping her foot.

"Agh!" Daisuke jumped, staring at her. "What're you doing here!"

"Waiting for you, stupid! What about our date!" Miyako scowled at him.

"Our what! I never said anything about-"

"But I did, just now! So, let's go!"

"...Go where?" Daisuke asked, pouting unhappily. 'Bye-bye, PlayStation...'

"I don't know! It's YOUR job to pick a date spot!"

Sighing, Daisuke shrugged. "I wanted to go home and play videogames, but-"

"That would be-" Miyako said, sounding happy, then cut herself off. "No... that's not a real date." She frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe we should go... see a movie or... have dinner... or something."

"Yeah. I guess."

"Well, you could sound a little more enthusiastic about it!" Miyako scowled at him.

"Sorry." He grinned. "Yeah, let's go see a movie."

Daisuke regretted saying that only fifteen minutes later. They'd reached the theatre, having walked the whole way holding hands. Daisuke hated holding hands with Miyako. She was taller than him, so he felt like he was walking with Jun, not his girlfriend. And every few minutes, his hand would get all sweaty and he'd have to let go to wipe it on his pants. Miyako made it very clear how little she appreciated his fidgeting by hitting him in the head repeatedly. Now he had a headache.

Then the lights were dimming, and Daisuke's only consolation was the enormous bag of popcorn they'd gotten. Sadly, Miyako was hogging it. He settled down into his seat and prayed that the movie would at least be good. Especially, he thought, since he'd had to pay for both of them.

Only a few minutes into the movie, Daisuke knew something was wrong. 'Stupid! I shouldn't have let HER pick the movie! This is one of those chick flicks with romance and crap! Damn!'

He jumped visibly when he felt Miyako's hand suddenly on his own. He eyed her suspiciously, but her eyes were locked on the screen. 'This is all some kinda plot. She knows we're fake-dating, why's she makin' us go out like this? Not like anyone's gonna KNOW we went out, we coulda just lied about it!'

That was when Miyako started to cry.

At first, Daisuke didn't know what to do. 'This is normal, right? Chick flicks are supposed to be all sad and sappy! But...' He looked back at the screen. The couple on it were laughing and holding hands, and running through the rain together. 'It isn't sad yet...'

She started to cry harder.

"Miyako," Daisuke whispered loudly, earning a glare from the man sitting in front of him. "Hey, Miyako!"

She turned to look at him with big red teary eyes. "Uh... uh huh?" She sniffled loudly.

Daisuke made a face. 'Ewwww.' "Um... you okay?" He sweatdropped. 'Damnit, of course she's not...'

She shook her head and began to wail.

By now, half the theatre was staring at them. Daisuke smiled widely and waved at them. 'Damn damn damn...' "Miyako... maybe we should leave..."

Letting out another sob, she nodded and stood up. She wailed the entire way out of the theatre.

Finding their way to a bench outside the building, Daisuke helped Miyako sit down. "Um... Miyako?" He stared at her helplessly. He hated it when people cried, especially when it might be because of him. "Did I do something?"

She shook her head and pulled a tissue out of her pocket, blowing her nose loudly. A moment later she was composed again, sniffling a bit as she calmed down. "I... I'm sorry, Daisuke!"

"Er, it's okay! Really!" He scratched his head, confused. "Not like I wanted to see that crappy movie, anyway!"

Miyako burst into tears again.

"Agh! N-no! I mean... jeez... sorry! It wasn't a crappy movie! I'm sure it got real good later, after it stopped sucking!"

This didn't seem to help. There seemed to be no end to Miyako's tears, and Daisuke wondered what would happen if she flooded the street. He suddenly wished he hadn't been skipping gym all week. Swim practice might come in handy in a few minutes.

"I... I... why don't I have anyone like that!"

Daisuke blinked hard, coming back to himself. "Like what?"

"Like... like... in the movie!" she wailed, hands over her face, trying to muffle her cries.

"Um... jeez. You'll find a real boyfriend someday, Miyako! You're not that bad lookin', and-"

"NO!"

Daisuke jumped, tensing. "No?"

"I don't want another boyfriend!"

Jaw dropped, Daisuke suddenly understood. 'Oh.. shit! She likes me! I should've known! All along, it's been so obvious! Otherwise, why would she wanna date me! She must have liked me for years! What do I do, what do I do! I don't really like her! But she must really love me to be this upset!' Reaching out with a trembling hand, Daisuke rubbed Miyako's back gently. "I'm sorry, Miyako... I just don't... feel that way about you..."

Abruptly, Miyako looked up at him again. Her expression was angry. "What! You think I like you!"

Feeling his ego crumble into a small pile of dust, Daisuke dropped his hand, frozen. 'Guess not... 'course... why would she? No one does...'

Miyako sighed. "I... didn't mean it like that." She smiled slightly and wiped her eyes with the tissue. "I mean... why don't I have someone like the girl in the movie?"

Completely baffled, Daisuke stared at her. "Huh? Because you're a girl, and-"

"Daisuke," Miyako said, exasperated. "I don't like boys. DUH."

"Agh!" Daisuke jumped back, suddenly on the other side of the bench. "You, too!" 'What the hell is making everyone gay all of a sudden! Is it all my friends! Why would they ALL be... oh crap! It's me! I'm what they have in common! I make people gay!'

Miyako frowned. "Didn't you know? That's why I said I'd date you. So that... people wouldn't know. So that she wouldn't know..." Miyako's voice softened.

Daisuke relaxed, brought out of his shock by how listless she suddenly seemed. "Huh? She?"

Miyako turned to look at him sadly, her eyes bleary. "Y'know how I always teased you for liking Hikari-chan?"

Daisuke nodded slowly, confused.

"Well..." Miyako tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It's because... I liked her, too."

Daisuke practically fell off of the bench. "You... you you you... you like Hikari-chan!"

"Shhh!" Miyako glared at him. "Shut up! What if someone from school heard you!"

Gathering his wits, Daisuke tried to sit calmly and think this through. 'Hikari-chan? But... but...' He frowned, sighing. 'Well... guess if Miyako's gonna like a girl, Hikari-chan is a nice one. And I liked her, so I can't really blame her...'

"But... I can't tell her." Miyako's eyes shut tightly and a few tears ran down her face. "She and Takeru-kun... they seem so..."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Daisuke said quickly. "They're not dating."

"Well, no... but..." Miyako gave him a sad look. "They will... someday."

Daisuke shook his head quickly, grinning. "She rejected him!"

Now it was Miyako's turn to be shocked. "W-what! Where'd you hear that!" She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shook him violently. "Are you making this up! I'll kill you!"

Being shaken, Daisuke could only try to speak clearly. "N-no... she...she... told him... she... didn't... like him... last... summer..."

Dropping Daisuke abruptly, Miyako smiled brightly. "You mean... you mean I have a chance!"

Daisuke landed on his back on the ground, his legs still on the bench, feet in the air. "Oww," he moaned. "I... I guess..."

"I have to... I have to do something!" Miyako grabbed Daisuke's arm and began dragging him down the street, walking quickly. "You have to help me!"

Daisuke barely got to his feet in time to save his face from being dragged along the sidewalk. "Huh! Me? Why do I have to help you!"

Miyako stopped and turned to give him a cold look. "I tried to be a good girlfriend for you, Daisuke. I did all the stupid girly things, I made you lunch, I even blushed and giggled!" She made a face, looking disgusted. "For YOU! Now you have to help me!" She paused and looked upset. "Anyway... you'll still be my friend... even if I dump you for Hikari-chan, right?"

Daisuke sighed heavily. "Yeah... but I don't know about having the girl I used to like and my girlfriend rejecting me for each other..."

"Oh, Daisuke, Hikari-chan rejected you years ago! And anyway..." Miyako blushed slightly and smiled. "I'd take good care of her!"

Daisuke couldn't help but grin at that. "Yeah. Guess you would." He shrugged. "Okay. Rather have her dating another girl than a guy, anyway. At least then it's 'cause she doesn't like guys!" He beamed, satisfied with this, but in the back of his mind he felt himself wince. 'See? She might be gay, too! All 'cause she knows me! That'll cinch it!'

With a death grip on his wrist, Miyako dragged Daisuke across town with a determined gleam in her eye. They didn't speak until they arrived at the flower shop a block from the Yagami's apartment. Daisuke was too scared to try to talk to Miyako right now. She looked as if she'd kill anyone who so much as thought of distracting her from her goal.

"Man," Daisuke sighed. "Last thing I thought I'd be doing tonight was helping you buy Hikari-chan roses..."

"Not just roses," Miyako said, bunching flowers together in her fist. "That's boring! Gotta put a few pink carnations and some baby's breath in there, too!"

Daisuke stared at her blankly and shrugged. He could only assume those weird words were the names of the flowers she was holding. "I guess."

"Well, what do you think?" Miyako asked, a serious look on her face. "Red roses mean love, and pink carnations mean... um... romance, I think..."

"What do those little white ones mean?" Daisuke asked, pointing at the baby's breath that was intermingled with the other flowers.

"Nothing. They just look good."

"Oh." Daisuke turned and wandered down the aisles, staring at the different flowers as Miyako paid for her bouquet. 'Sure is a lotta different kinds of flowers. I guess I can see why girls'd want 'em, though... they do smell kinda good.'

"Okay! Let's go!" Miyako grabbed Daisuke by the arm again and dragged him out of the store and down the block.

"Wha! Lemme go! I'm not gonna go with you for this!"

"You have to! I need the moral support!" Miyako said, pulling him past the elevators and up the stairs.

"Hey," Daisuke whined. "They live way, way up! I don't wanna walk! Let's use the eleva-"

"We already passed them! It's too late to turn back, now!" Miyako pointed dramatically ahead of them with the hand that was holding the bouquet. "Onwards!"

Daisuke whimpered and followed her up the stairs, already exhausted.

Once they reached the top, he was panting. "So... many... steps..."

"Shhhh!" Miyako shushed him, knocking on the door with the 'Yagami' nameplate.

Only a few moments later it swung open, revealing Hikari. She smiled at them. "Miyako-san! Daisuke-kun! What are you doing here?"

Miyako shoved the bouquet out in front of her, looking terrified all of a sudden. "I... got these for you!"

Hikari stared at them, then at Miyako. "From you and Daisuke-kun? But..."

"No. They're just from me." Miyako bit her lower lip nervously. "Because I like you."

A faint blush came across Hikari's cheeks briefly. "But... Daisuke-kun and you are-"

"We aren't dating. That was all fake, so... so no one would know I liked you." Miyako began to tremble slightly, still holding the bouquet in her outstretched hand.

Staring at it for a long moment, Hikari finally took it and smiled softly. "Miyako-san... thank you... I..." She glanced behind her quickly. "Would you like to come inside?"

Miyako let out her breath all at once, beaming. "Yeah."

Daisuke gaped as Miyako followed Hikari into the apartment. He stepped into the entryway only to see Hikari lead Miyako to her bedroom. They closed the door behind them.

"What... what just happened!" Daisuke moaned. "I didn't think she'd... agh!"

Taichi ducked his head around the corner, a popsicle in his mouth. He blinked at Daisuke. "Mmf," he said, muffled by the frozen treat.

"Hi," Daisuke waved weakly, feeling suddenly awkward. 'Should I wait for her? They might be in there a while...' He made a face. 'Ewww.'

"Was that Miyako-chan?" Taichi asked, the popsicle now in his hand.

"Yeah," Daisuke said, frowning at Hikari's bedroom door.

"What's going on?" Taichi leaned against the wall, following Daisuke's gaze to his sister's bedroom door.

"I think... my girlfriend just dumped me for your sister," Daisuke said slowly.

Both boys winced as they heard sudden giggles coming from Hikari's room.

"You're kidding," Taichi said, an amused expression on his face.

"Nope." Daisuke sighed heavily.

Taichi shook his head, grinning. "Good for them. I mean... sorry 'bout Miyako-chan and all, but... Hikari'll be happy. Not that she'd admit it, but..."

"She liked Miyako, huh?" Daisuke looked down at his feet and suddenly felt very depressed.

"But... you didn't, right?" Taichi asked, placing a hand on Daisuke's shoulder.

"No," Daisuke said, shaking his head. "But... I don't like being rejected, either."

Taichi was quiet for a long moment before hooking a finger under Daisuke's chin and lifting the younger boy's face. He smiled. "Don't be depressed. You're too good for Miyako, anyway."

Daisuke smiled back, almost believing him. "Thanks, Taichi-senpai."

"Sure thing. And if you want, I know a lot of cute girls I could hook you up with," Taichi said, waggling his eyebrows. "Way cuter ones than her."

"...Y'know how you said... I shouldn't date girls unless I really liked them?"

Taichi nodded, sucking on his popsicle again.

Daisuke felt himself flush, and the thought was suddenly gone. 'That looks... really... wow. I wonder if he's good at... he probably does that all the time, right? With that guy on the team, and...'

"Daisuke?" Taichi asked, licking his lips.

"OH!" Daisuke jumped, nodding. "Yeah! So, um... I'm gonna do that!"

"...You're gonna do what?" Taichi asked, looking amused.

"I dunno... I guess... be myself." He beamed and fisted his hands, holding them up in front of himself in excitement. "Even if it DOES mean people think we're having sex!"

Taichi's jaw dropped.

"Thanks, Taichi-senpai! I feel a lot better!" With that, Daisuke turned and ran back down the hall to go home. He took the elevator this time.

"Mmm?" Jun squinted her eyes, trying to keep them shut.

"Jun... 'Neechan... wake up!" Daisuke hissed. "Wake up!"

Frowning, Jun opened her eyes. "What is it, Daisuke?" she moaned. "It must be like one in the morning!"

"...It's three." Daisuke said, glancing at her Hello Kitty alarm clock.

"That's worse! Go to bed!" She rolled over, turning her back to him.

"...But... I need help." Daisuke sighed.

He'd meant to go home and go to bed. He'd mean to be asleep. But instead he'd once again found himself unable to. This time, however, it wasn't because of random teenage horniness. It was because he couldn't stop thinking. This was even worse than not being able to get off, and the only thing he could think to do was ask his sister for help.

Sighing, Jun sat up and turned on her bedside lamp. "What's wrong?"

Daisuke's eyes were bloodshot, and his lower lip quivered. "I don't... know what to do."

Feeling a rare bout of sisterly love, Jun grinned and wrapped her arms around her little brother, pulling him into her bed with her. She hugged him tightly and sighed, knowing she would get no sleep tonight. "Tell Big Sister what's wrong."

"I... my girlfriend dumped me." Daisuke pouted audibly. "For another girl. The girl I used to like."

Jun's eyes widened. "You had a girlfriend?"

"Just for one day. But I didn't really like her."

"So... what's the problem?"

"She's gay. Hikari-chan is gay. Taichi-senpai is gay. I'm pretty sure Ken's gay, too... I mean... look at him." Daisuke sighed and leaned back against his sister. "Everybody's gay. I think it's me. It's bad luck."

Jun laughed, shaking her head. "Daisuke... it's not you."

"How do you know?" he asked, turning his head to pout at her.

"Because I still like boys, and I'm around you all the time." She nodded. "And anyway, what's wrong with them all being gay? There's no bad luck about it! I wish I was." She sighed. "Men are so confusing. Lesbians always have another woman there to understand them! And, of course, there's the sex."

Daisuke made a face. He was torn between wanting to know more, and not wanting to hear it from his big sister. Curiosity won out in the end. "Um... what do you mean?"

Jun smirked. "I'm sorry, Daisuke, but men don't know anything about the female body. Of course a woman would be better with another woman! We know how our own bodies work! ...It's probably the same for guys, too. PLUS, guys have a prostate. No woman's gonna stick anything up there. No woman you'd want to date, anyway."

Daisuke considered that, making a face. "That's gross," he said, not wanting his sister to know what he was thinking. 'But... I don't wanna miss out on that,' Daisuke thought. 'I heard it was really good...'

Jun laughed again. "Right... well, anyway... being gay seems a lot easier to me. But I can't help it," she sighed longingly. "There are too many cute boys in the world for me to abandon their entire gender!"

Daisuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you're definitely straight."

Jun nodded. "Damn right I am." She squeezed him tightly with another hug. "So don't worry about your friends. I'm sure they'll be happy."

Daisuke shrugged his shoulders stiffly. "I'm not worried about them."

Her lips quirking up into a Cheshire grin, Jun asked, trying not to sound too suspicious, "Then who are you worried about?"

"...Me," Daisuke mumbled, staring down at the blanket.

Repressing the urge to squeal and squeeze him out of excitement over finally having a gay little brother, she nodded. "Why?"

"Miyako... was cute. I guess... I mean, for a girl." He frowned and shook his head. "See! I keep thinking stuff like that! 'For a girl'... what does that mean! And... kissing her was crappy." He stuck out his lower lip and scowled. "I didn't feel anything."

"And... you think you might with another boy?" Jun asked, her voice trembling slightly with repressed excitement.

"...Yeah... maybe. Today I saw Taichi-senpai... well... eating a popsicle, and..." Daisuke blushed hard. "Anyway, I-"

Jun couldn't repress it anymore. She squeezed him hard. "YAY! You've finally come to accept it! I'm so happy for you!"

"Huh! Wha!" Daisuke gasped. "Can't... breathe!"

Loosening her grip on him, Jun smiled so hard her face hurt. "You've realized that you're gay!"

Daisuke gaped at her. "No! I mean... you're supposed to tell me that I'm not!"

She pouted. "Why!"

"'Cause... 'cause..." Daisuke's expression crumbled into one of confusion and unhappiness. "I... I dunno."

Kissing her little brother on the temple, Jun smiled. "Just believe your big sister, Daisuke. You don't like kissing girls, and I know you've stolen my shonen-ai manga-"

"That was an accident!" Daisuke blushed brightly. "I didn't know what they were!"

"But it didn't stop you from reading them, did it?" She smiled evilly, remembering catching him reading her FAKE manga when he was still in middle school. She'd been hoping since then that one day she'd have a gay little brother of her very own.

Daisuke looked away and shrugged. "It was... cute. And I liked the plot! Really!"

Smiling, Jun patted him on the head. "And no self respecting straight man would say it was cute. Welcome to the gay community, Daisuke! I'll march with you on gay pride day! Ooh, we could go to Tokyo Disney when they have theirs! I hear it's lots of fun, and you get to wear rainbow stuff!"

"...So... I like guys." Daisuke said, testing the words out.

"Yep! Now go to bed. I have to sleep, or I'll totally fail my math test." She shoved him off her bed, winking. "But make sure to keep me updated! I wanna know when my little brother gets a cute boyfriend!"

Daisuke glared at her. "Shut up." He turned to leave the room, and she turned off her light. Pausing in the doorway, he finally mumbled, "Thanks."

In his bedroom, Daisuke stared up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. He thought about the way it had felt to kiss Miyako, and the way it felt to hold her hand... and then suddenly, his mind drifted to the way Taichi looked in his soccer uniform. He glanced at the clock, wondering what his senpai was doing at that moment. 'Probably sleeping,' Daisuke thought. 'Or...' He gulped hard, thinking of a number of boys at school he thought Taichi might have been involved with.

He felt his body respond to the images that filled his thoughts quickly, and he shook his head. 'Wow. I really am gay.' He shut his eyes tightly, willing the images to go away, but they didn't fade.

Taichi with the captain of the soccer team bent over the benches in the locker room. That guy with the red hair from Yamato's band sucking Taichi off. Oh, gods, Yamato sucking Taichi off. Daisuke clenched his fingers into the sheets, trying not to think those thoughts. But both of them were hot... though Yamato was more pretty than sexy, he was sure they'd look hot next to each other... who knew? Maybe they were even involved...

His arousal faded as quickly as it had appeared. 'I don't want Taichi-senpai to be involved with Yamato-san. I don't want him to be involved with anyone...' The thought made him wince. 'What if those guys were right? What if I do want Taichi-senpai? I mean... I'm not having sex with him, but...' He shook his head hard.

"No," he said firmly. 'No. Taichi-senpai is my idol! I wanna be just like him because he's so cool and sexy! And he is really sexy... really,really sexy... but... but that's okay to notice! Everyone thinks so! 'Cause... 'cause I just want...' Daisuke rubbed his fingers together, sighing. 'I want someone to hold hands with and feel something, not like with Miyako. And Taichi-senpai... doesn't look like he does that.' He smirked, chuckling bitterly. 'And even if he did, he wouldn't be interested in me.'

Rolling over on his side, Daisuke pulled the covers up over his head. 'I've just gotta find a boyfriend... a nice boyfriend... that way no one will think I like Taichi-senpai. 'Cause I don't. That would be stupid.